Tours Will be Held on Saturday, February 6

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host Valentine’s Day tours of the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant on Saturday, February 6. Newtown Creek is the City’s largest wastewater treatment facility and is in the final stages of a $5 billion upgrade that has helped make New York City’s waterways healthier than they have been in more than a century. Since 2012, hundreds of couples and others celebrating Valentine’s Day have visited the plant to learn about New York City’s water supply and wastewater systems, while enjoying scenic views of the New York skyline from atop Newtown Creek’s iconic stainless steel digester eggs. During the tour, plant operators provide an overview of the wastewater treatment process, including details about how the Newtown Creek Plant will soon be the first in the nation to purify biogas into renewable natural gas, which will heat nearly 5,200 homes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90,000 metric tons each year- the equivalent of removing nearly 19,000 cars from the road.

DEP has already received numerous inquiries from people interested in attending one of the tours. Space is limited and participants must register at nyc.gov/dep.